Mental Health in the UK
This lesson deals with the issue of mental health in Britain, which is currently a big issue. Read the two articles on mental illness – ‘ The Stigma of Mental Illness ’ and ‘ Fashionable Mental Illness ’ (you may very well disagree with the arguments in these items, or find some of this information controversial). Read through the PPT, and then answer the questions at the end.
Mental Health in the UK At any one time, a sixth of the population in England aged 16 to 64 have a mental health problem, according to statistics body NHS Digital. Whether it is family or friends, neighbours or work colleagues, the chances are we all know someone who is affected. And bearing in mind the figure leaves out less common conditions, you could easily argue it is even more prevalent than that. . The Prime Minister is expected to announce plans to improve the provision for health care in the UK
1. Problems are on the increase It seems to be getting more common - or at least among those with severe symptoms. While the proportion of people affected does not appear to have risen in the past few years, if you go back a little further there has certainly been a steady increase. Evidence from the NHS Digital study in England shows the rise has been driven by an increase in women with illness. Why is this? Undoubtedly some of it is down to people being more willing to report and admit mental health problems. It is clear 21st Century life is taking its toll on some people. Economic uncertainty, social media and rising expectations of what life should be like have all been suggested as possible causes.
Severe mental illness has been on the rise since the early 1990s (The proportion of people with severe symptoms of common mental disorders)
2. Women are now more likely to be affected Women are now much more likely to have a common mental illness. One in five report they have, compared with one in eight men in England. Young people are particularly susceptible. A number of theories have been put forward for this. The economic uncertainty of the past decade has particularly affected the young, making it harder to get on the career ladder. And psychiatrists and mental health campaigners are increasingly raising questions about whether social media increases peer-group pressure and online bullying. Whatever the reason, the one thing experts are agreed on is that the figures are shocking.
Comparing common mental disorder by sex (The proportion of males and females with symptoms) Men = blue / Women = purple
3. Mental health problems tend to start early As already mentioned, mental health problems are particularly common in the young in the UK. In fact, most mental health problems develop in childhood or when a person is a young adult. Three-quarters of problems are established by the age of 24. It is why there is such an emphasis at the moment on addressing childhood mental illness. In 2015, the government promised funding for child and adolescent mental health services would increase, but there are calls for government funding to be increased even more.
4. A nation of pill-poppers? Drugs are still the most common form of treatment. The number of medicines dispensed for anxiety, depression, obsessive- compulsive disorder and panic attacks has almost doubled in the past 10 years. An increase in the numbers of people getting antidepressants is clearly a factor. But so too is the fact prescribing patterns have changed. Doctors are much more likely to keep people on drugs for longer with evidence suggesting it is a more effective way of treating patients. But as common as antidepressants are, the fact remains the majority of people with mental illness report they are not getting help.
5. More and more people are being detained With the high rates of non-treatment in mind, it perhaps should not come as a surprise that there is an upwards trend in England in the number of people being detained under the Mental Health Act. Campaigners say patients in crisis are given just enough treatment to stabilise them before being sent home too early to ease pressure on beds. What happens then? They suffer another crisis and are detained again. So some people spend years being detained over and over again without ever getting well.
Detentions under the Mental Health Act (a 34% increase in England since 2006)
6. It's Time to Change But perhaps the most promising development in terms of mental health is the changing attitude towards mental illness. A public campaign called Time to Change was launched in 2009 by leading charity ‘Mind’. It has been supported by the lottery and government along the way - and seems to be working. Latest results from the National Attitudes to Mental Illness Survey, showed people's willingness to work, live with and live nearby someone with a mental health problem has been improving in England. Despite the improvements, nearly nine in 10 people who have had mental health problems report they have suffered stigma and discrimination. For all the positives, there's a long way to go, it seems.
Changing attitudes to mental illness Increasing numbers of people say that they are willing to live with, work with and live nearby sufferers of mental ill health (2016 % = blue / 2009 % = purple)
[01] What is meant by a stigma ? [02] Are people with mental health issues stigmatised ? [03] Write a list of other groups of people (or medical conditions) that may also be stigmatised? [04] Do you agree that some people believe that mental health issues are fashionable? (Write a short paragraph on this) A key (and interesting) debate in sociology is the extent to which people are normal, and whether there is such a thing as ‘normal’? Perhaps, all people have some form of mental health issue . . . . [05] Is there such a thing as normal, or are we all abnormal to an extent?
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